Anyone who has been around disk-based storage devices for a while has had an incident where they’ve either lost data, the HDD has been corrupted, or maybe the media has been damaged in some way. The immediate response is usually panic. “That data is lost forever, and I had important footage on there!”. Or, “My building has burnt down, and my DVR is toast. I’ll never be able to tell what happened!!”. To quote the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy:

There’s something to remember about data being erased from a hard drive, and that is that data isn’t really gone when you delete it. Not immediately, at least. Essentially (in very basic terms), the drive is told that the sectors that contained the data are okay to overwrite. So, if you’ve deleted data from your drive, or accidentally formatted it, the best thing to do is keep calm and don’t use that drive. Less time spent in use equals a better chance of recovery. That being said, if data is overwritten, it’s pretty much gone for good. Powering down the unit and calling a recovery specialist is the best first course of action. Also, keep in mind to try to act as quickly as possible, as CCTV hard drives are usually on a constant overwrite mode.

As it turns out, we specialize in CCTV data recovery, and we’re able to recover data from DVRs in most cases. We’ve been successful in recovering data from several DVR hard drives that were in fires, some with damage to the board, formatted drives, and corrupted files. If you ever find yourself in this situation, power down the DVR and give us a call. We’ll give you a quick and honest assessment. Our pricing is fair, and our turn-around times are usually within just a few days, unless there’s physical damage that needs to be repaired. We can help with damaged DVR’s, NVR’s, Hard Drives, SD Cards, IP Network Cameras and More! If you require CCTV data recovery, give us a call.

I’ve been in this industry for a while now, and there have been a handful of innovations that have really grabbed my attention. STARVIS, certainly is one of them. For quite some time, a major drawback to to having CCTV cameras in a low-lit area like a restaurant or bar, is that since the light levels are below the IR threshold, cameras stay in IR mode (Black and White) all the time. In IR mode (night vision), you sometimes lose detail that may be important later on, especially color. In a situation where we need detailed images from our CCTV Cameras, like what color shirt someone is wearing, having a Security Camera that can see in color in low light can be very beneficial. In addition, there are unforseen times when something may cause the IR to bounce wrong and ruin a picture. I know it sounds far fetched, but we don’t have CCTV systems because we’re complacent.

Like I had mentioned earlier, Starvis is one of the few new things in CCTV (well… relatively new) that has really grabbed my attention. It allows for very low-light footage to be captured in color. The Starvis Back-Illuminated sensor, made by SONY, is incredibly sensitive, and since its introduction, they’ve improved upon the technology. You may very well be asking yourself what practical application would this have for you. Check out this comparison below and pick which image you would rather use as evidence or as a way of determining what color shirt a person was wearing.

With Starvis technology, not only are images captured, but the footage would also have extra information for the police to possibly make an arrest. Can’t see the color of a car when your cameras are in IR mode? What about a home intruder? The ability to be able to show the police exactly what they looked like is something that could be incredibly beneficial. Business owner? Maybe a restaurant or bar? Being able to keep all footage in color would help identify troublemakers should they start making a scene, or worse. Detail is better preserved in color. Beyond capturing detailed evidence, viewing your live CCTV images and recorded footage can be much more productive when in color. Imagine trying to explain to an employee in training: “Hey, when you served that woman with the, well I’m not sure what color hair she had but on my footage it looks…grayish?”

So Starvis Low Light CCTV Security Cameras are quickly becoming popular with Bar’s, Restaurants, Poker Rooms, Internet Cafe’s and a multitude of other business’s that operate in low light conditions. One Internet Cafe owner exclaimed “Wow, it’s great to be able to finally see everything in color, all the time! It always bothered me that when we were closed during the day, everything was in color but as soon as we opened, and the lights went down, my cameras were in black and white.”

So you’re with me up to this point, right? I’m sure you’ve asked yourself, “Which cameras are offered by Ellipse Security that have Starvis Capabilities?”. I’m glad you asked. Our STOiC Technology Line of Cameras feature many Starvis Models for your needs. Here is a quick list:

The STH-B3271 with not only StarVis, but an incredible 270 feet of IR range

And the author’s personal favorite, the STH-B2061W. Quite possibly our most well rounded camera, as well as one of our most popular. SmartIR, Starvis, a compact size, and also has built in audio. This camera could have an article all on its own.

So, now that you’ve seen what Starvis can do for you, and have some ideas as far as practical applications for the home and business, give it a shot for your CCTV camera system. You’ll be able to see the difference for yourself. Still have questions? No problem! Give us a call!